At least eleven people died as of Saturday morning following the partial collapse of a highway bridge in northwest China’s Shaanxi Province.
The bridge, located in Zhashui County in Shangluo City, collapsed at approximately 8:40 PM on Friday due to a sudden downpour and flash floods, according to the provincial publicity department, state-run China Global Television Network reported.
Rescue operations have been underway since Saturday morning, according to Xinhua news agency. By 10 AM, rescue teams had recovered five vehicles that had fallen into the river. Rescue operations are underway.
Images on state television CCTV showed a partially submerged section of the bridge with the river rushing over it.
🚨#BREAKING: Highway bridge partially collapses in northwest China, killing over ten people.
At least eleven people were killed after a highway bridge partially collapsed in Shangluo City located in Zhashui County in northwest China’s Shaanxi Province,… pic.twitter.com/dL0Q4g09jH
— R A W S G L 🌎 B A L (@RawsGlobal) July 20, 2024
Large portions of northern and central China have been battered since Tuesday by rains that have caused flooding and significant damage.
On Friday, state media reported at least five people dead and eight missing after the rains sparked flooding and mudslides in Shaanxi’s Baoji city.
China is enduring a summer of extreme weather, with heavy rains across the east and south coming as much of the north has sweltered in successive heat waves.